


30 Day BenKaru Challenge -- Day 3, With Their Daughter

by tinynerdlet



Series: 30 Day BenKaru Challenge [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 23:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7989781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinynerdlet/pseuds/tinynerdlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's supposed to be a nice family event, but Ben has his mind elsewhere. When Demora steps away to look at flowers, Ben and Hikaru have a conversation about where Ben's thoughts really are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	30 Day BenKaru Challenge -- Day 3, With Their Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> [See Story On Tumblr](http://spoopynerdlet.tumblr.com/post/148571187668/day-3-of-benkaru-with-their-daughter)

“Daddy, here!”

Sulu turned towards the voice just in time to see a crown thrust in his face. A flower crown, to be exact. It wasn’t the most beautifully crafted crown, but the yellows, whites, and blues that were woven together embodied Demora’s spirit more than something perfectly made ever could. He reached for it. Demora pulled it away.

“No, I have to put it on you.”

Sulu lowered his head. Demora placed the crown on top of it.

“Now you’re the Flower King!”

“The Flower King?” Sulu asked.

“Papa said that you were out in space because you wanted to be friends with all the flowers as the Flower Prince. Now you have a crown, so you’re the Flower King and you can make a flower kingdom.”

Sulu glanced at Ben who was still sitting next to him, looking his way. The loving look they’d shared only a moment ago had melted into an apologetic smile. Ben wove stories. He was good at that. And since most of the missions Sulu was on were classified, there was no doubt holes Ben had to fill, which he clearly did with some level of imagination. Sulu didn’t fault him for that. He let his hand slide over Ben’s as he looked back at Demora, a smile on his face.

“The crown’s lovely, Demora, but princes become kings when they get married. I’m already a king because I got married to your Papa.”

Demora gasped.

“Does that make me a princess?” she asked.

“If you want to be one,” Sulu answered.

“I wanna be a space princess!” she called, “I wanna go around the stars and be friends with everyone!”

“You’ll have to go to school first,” Sulu said.

“At Starfleet?”

“At a public school,” Ben answered. Sulu looked at him. Although he was smiling, Sulu could tell it was forced. “Then we can talk about Starfleet.”

“Okay!” Demora ran back towards the wild flowers again and started looking through them again. The beginnings of a crown for the other Flower King, no doubt. Sulu smiled. That soon passed, though, as Ben’s whispered words caught his ear.

“I was hoping she wouldn’t want to join.”

“She’s young. She might change her mind.”

Ben hummed. Sulu looked his way. In the light, with his frown, Ben looked older. The years had aged him more than Sulu thought. It took nothing away from Ben, certainly not his looks, but it added the burden of constant worry and anxiety. Sulu knew he would be fine aboard the Enterprise, but Ben? He had to act on near blind faith and the word of a captain he’d never spoken one-on-one with. With a husband, it was doable, but a child? The mere thought of Demora leaving on a mission made his stomach churn. Still, he squeezed Ben’s hand and rubbed his thumb along the side of Ben’s fingers.

"Let’s focus on this, now. We’ll worry about the future when it gets here.”

Ben looked over at him again. A sigh escaped him. His eyes loved to their hands.

“You’re always in the moment. I’m always somewhere else.”

“Yet you’re the one with Demora and I’m the one in the stars.”

Ben scoffed. A smile touched his lips.

“Be here, Ben. Don’t worry and miss it.”

Ben looked up at him again. Those brown hues twinkled. Tears threatened to escape. Sulu leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.


End file.
